At last weekend’s DrinkLocalWine.com conference in Denver, our annual writers’ dinner was held at the Governor’s Residence. The venue alone was testament to how much importance the state put on the conference and the opportunity to showcase its wines to media from around the country. And the dinner itself, cooked by Chefs Eric Skokan of The Black Cat Farm Table Bistro in Boulder and Daniel Asher of Linger and Root Down restaurants in Denver, was fantastic.

Skokan especially impressed the crowd of about 80 writers, winemakers and dignitaries as me described how his restaurant relies on its 70-acre organic farm for nearly everything it puts on its tables. Here was a chef truly living the “eat local” mantra. And he was very appreciative of the support we were giving to local wines.

And so was Governor John Hickenlooper. We weren’t expecting to meet him, but he joined us briefly at our pre-dinner reception before heading off to preside over a wedding. I snuck a quick picture, but of course it’s blurry. No worries – Hickenlooper, who made his mark in Colorado’s craft beer revolution, had just filmed this humorous promo for the Colorado Wine Industry Development Board. Be sure to watch to the end, with an out-take featuring his mispronunciation of a wine grape. He’s um, rather known for such things.

And speaking of the Colorado wine board, our sincere thanks go out to Doug Caskey, its excecutive director, and to Kyle Schlacter of his staff, without whom the conference would never have happened. And we might still be asking, “Oh, do they make wine in Colorado?”